6 Tips for a Feng Shui Home Office

Feng Shui and the Home Office

The good news is that you don't have to spend a lot of time and money making your home office a space a balanced and peaceful place. You just need to incorporate a few Feng Shui principles, or the Chinese art of arranging furnishings, accessories and architecture in a way that's in harmony with nature!

Tips for Creating a Feng Shui Home Office

Below are just a few ideas on how you can make your home work area more harmonious and more productive.

1. Bring the natural light in.

Make sure that your home office has plenty of windows to allow natural light into your work space. According to Feng Shui, light equals energy; more modern science has also found that having abundant natural light increases productivity.

2. Choose calm, neutral tones.

Tans, beiges and light pastel colors are all soothing colors and help to create a peaceful work environment. Avoid colors that provoke strong emotional responses, like red, orange and yellow.

3. Position your desk facing the door.

According to Feng Shui principles, the door to a room is where the energy flows in. You'll want your desk to be facing that door so you can absorb that energy and also be in a position of power towards anyone entering the room.

4. Accessorize with live plants.

Live plants clean the air as well as add positive energy and grace to your work space. Good, low-maintenance choices include bamboo, Boston ferns, English ivy, and rubber trees. Feng Shui also maintains that live plants help to reduce stress, always a benefit in a work environment.

5. Avoid sharp edges.

In Feng Shui, rounded, curved edges and lines are always preferable to harsh, sharp edges. For a work environment, that means choosing a desk with curved edges rather than a traditional rectangular desk. You might try a custom desk with a live edge, combining both fluid edges and nature. In addition, round rugs are preferable to angular ones and round or oval picture frames are preferable to square or rectangular ones.

6. Use natural materials.

Feng Shui stresses natural materials over synthetic ones. Thus, a wooden desk has good Feng Shui, while a steel one does not. This emphasis on natural materials should also carry over to floor covering and window treatments.

Making your home office a place of peace and harmony doesn't have to take a lot of time and money. Simply pay attention to your desk placement, avoid sharp lines and edges, bring nature into your space and make sure that your space has ample light and air circulation (in other words, follow the six defining principles of Feng Shui outlined above)!